Creating Home. Leaving a Legacy.

Menu

Category Archives: deals

I love an opportunity to get a deal, especially on “necessities” like clothes. I love quality and cute clothes for Isaac, but it is really hard to pay full price for kids clothes knowing how quickly he goes through them. So each fall and spring I head out to a few sales put on by local twin and multiples groups in our city. Back in the spring I detailed my process (here and here). In short, I always have a list and plan and budget. I like to spend under $100 for both sales combined, though I may increase that a bit as I start buying for the baby too.

This year I hoped to find some baby “gear” so I went to both sales as they opened.

Sale #1 was the Twin Sale put on by EHMOTC held a the Nagel Middle School in Anderson. I walked around pretty quickly, picked up some items then found a spot to take a closer look at each item. I look for stains, think of outfits, and decide if the the item is worth the cost.

Here is what I ended up with after the first sale:

For Isaac:

3T Gap zip-up sweatshirt jacket

3T lined plaid jacket (really warm!)

3T Addidas track outfit

3T long-sleeved shirt

2T rust corduroy button up – Thanksgiving shirt!

For baby:

3-6 mo. BabyGap sleeper (Similar to favorite of mine for Isaac as a baby. Super soft!)

0-3 mo. “All I Need is Love” long-sleeved onesie

3-6 mo. tie-die sleeper (looks never worn)

Misc:

Duck towel (I had been looking for this last spring before pool season)

Car organizer for Isaac’s books and a few toys we leave in the car ($8.00 is a little pricey for a sale, but I had planned to buy something just like this! It was brand new.)

Crib sheet in Navy

Total for Sale #1: $31.00 for 11 items.

Sale #2 was the following week across town at the Princeton Middle School put on by the Tristate Multiples Club. I was in line while it was still dark as I was hoping to find a bassinet/crib/pack ‘n play. Something for baby to sleep in until he is sleeping through the night. I did find some cute things, but didn’t manage to find gear. Boo.

For Isaac:

3T Gap zip-up jacket. (I guess I really liked this item, I did not realize I jut bought one in a different color the week before!)

2T and 3T dressy button up (1 for Christmas outfit!)

3T PJs

4T PJs

4T polo (brand new!)

For baby:

3-6 mo. Aden and Anais sleep sac

2 pair pants – 3 mos, 6 mos,

2 onesies – 3-6 mos

4 sleepers – 0-3 and 3-6 mos. (all long-sleeved for baby born in Feb)

Accessories:

Rain boots – size 8. Isaac loves trying on my rain boots, I knew he would love to wear these around the house even if it doesn’t rain all that much.

Our bathroom, yeah. The one and only in the house. Well, all I can say is the sink, toilet and shower all match. When we were house shopping back in 2009 we saw so many fixer uppers (because I have a handy man). We always marveled at the gems we would fine. This bathroom is super out-dated, but at least it was matching. While I am not a fan of the honey wood so much, I played with it and the green and off-white tile with the colors in the shower curtain. This shower curtain was one of my first purchases for the house and I was SO excited when I found it at TJ Maxx for $15-ish dollars. It had the greens, golds, tans that would blend with the colors settled in the room and also gave me the idea to bring out the chocolate brown and orange also found in it’s stripes. The window shade was made for us from a panel of curtains that hung in our rental house’s living room. It was from Target but repurposed into a Roman Shade, by the talented Janet Garner. As a housewarming she blessed us with making some window coverings in a few rooms. I love the texture and it went perfectly with the shower curtain. That was total luck and cost us $0! I purchased 2 chocolate chenille rugs that same day from TJ Maxx and later found chocolate towels, hand towels and washcloths from Pottery Barn outlet. Best. Towels. Ever. And, so worth the extra couple bucks. At the outlet they are pretty reasonable, but I can’t remember what I paid. Doug and I both really like the old tile. The color is good and it has character, but notice the unfinished concrete trim next to the tub…that is not so pretty. Sorry for the poor picture, but you can see the architectural detail above the shower. We like that.We hung this picture with greens, orange, and deep brown. It was done by an artist in The Philippines. A dear friend who lived as a missionary brought it back for me. Candle holders were clearance from Target, candles also grabbed there.

I’m not too into crosses hanging on the wall, but I like this one. I think it was from Pier One. In the picture above you can see all towels holders and outlet covers are that nice honey wood. A LOT OF WOOD in this bathroom.

The bathroom is small and simple but works. I am happy with what I’ve done with what I had to work with, but that doesn’t mean we wouldn’t love to make a lot of updates. We will likely gut the whole thing and start from scratch as budget allows. Here is my list for the future:

New toilet, sink, and tub in white.

Build a long but narrow open sink cabinet in dark wood, something like this or this or this. This needs to be open to be longer so it doesn’t block the vent on the lower wall next to the vanity.

Put a large mirror on the back wall without a medicine cabinet.

New light fixture

Lighten up the space with greys and white, bright tile, new towels and some bright artwork.

Clean out and organize the closet with pretty labeled baskets. (Notice I did not show you a picture of the inside of the closet

I’m back with round two of my spring kids’ clothes shopping! Since I went into great detail about my methods last week I’ll keep this post brief. I’ll share some grand totals at the end of the post.

This week’s sale was at Nagel Middle School in Anderson. My plan was to be early, but I arrived late. I had great intentions all week, but sometimes you just have to roll with life. Husband and I ended up being out until all hours the night before. I was a big winner at Dave & Busters, and had an embarrassing bundle of tickets in my hands. Over 3000. It was fun though and the baby was at Doug’s parents. Saturday morning came too quickly! Since I was not eagerly hunting items… I slept in. Ahhh! I slept in, got coffee, took my time and got to the sale 40 minutes before it closed. Just enough time.When I arrived the room was eerily empty. In the past this has been my favorite sale because they usually take 50% off all the clothes in the last hour. Totally a steal! Well, I guess the twin mommies thought so too because they didn’t offer that this year. Bum-mer! I’m hoping they bring it back though, because the sale was pretty dead at the end with lots of clothes still left.

Being baby-free, I was super fast with my process. Shop, throw items in my bag, sort by size, check my lists, and decide what to buy – just as I did at Sale #1. I did spend a little more money at this sale than I normally. With previous half-off deal I don’t think that I ever spent over $30. However, I found some higher end brands and was happy to pay for them. I walked out with 19 items for $49.75.Actually, I bought 20. Look at this sweetness of a dress. The wide ribbon belt with detailed flowers made me want to pop out a girl or two just so they could wear them. Oh, yeah, there were actually 2 of these dresses… normal at a twin sale. I couldn’t resist one of them. Adorable, right? But, no, I did not buy this in hopes of a daughter, I’m way too cheap for that. I did text my friend to see if she wanted it for her daughter. Brand new with the $44 tag still attached. She said to grab it, and I have to tell you at $8 (my highest priced item) it was the find of the day.

But on to the boys clothes! Remember the sweater I found last week for Easter? Here are pants to go with them. Super score!! I will likely have the roll the waist band, but they shouldn’t be too huge on Isaac.

I brought home a bunch of Gap clothing including the super soft pirate ship PJs, and some perfect little man jeans. I love how Gap baby and kid clothes feel and they last really long. So I snag ‘em often at these sales. Off my starred items list, I found Sperry gym shoe/sandal things. Whenever I buy used shoes they have to be practically new. I checked the inner soles to make sure there was no foot impression. I want Isaac to be comfortable in his shoes, so I mostly pay for brand new shoes for that reason.

I also scored a bunch of swimwear: 18 mos, 2T, and 3T. The 3T navy board shorts and swim shirt are Lands End and look like they have not been worn.

WOW! I love that math. That is about $2.25 per item. I will take that! And, remember those lists? I got all the clothing items off my starred list. Still looking for a climber and wagon. Overall, I am under budget and spent cash.Now it is time to wash and store those clothes, and of course I gotta update my penciled lists that I made when I was going through the piles a few weeks back. Gotta keep those bins organized!

Please share:

Saturday morning Isaac and I ventured off the the Tri-state Multiple Clothing and Equipment Sale at the Princeton Middle School. A few weeks back I sorted, organized and stored all the kids clothes that had been piling up in the basement (read all the details here). So, I had my lists ready to go for the sale along with a list of “starred” items. These are items that I was REALLY on the lookout for: Crocs (size 7, 8, or 9), outdoor toddler climber/slide, pjs, jacket (2T), Easter outfit (this year), and a wagon for Doug’s mom.

For most of sales I am in line when the door opens, without baby, cash in hand. This day I decided to take the day slow. I wanted to find some stuff, but really didn’t need to fight the masses. Isaac was tagging along for the fun. When I finally arrived (after realizing I had left my debit card for cash at home) the room was quiet. Usually I am sweating fighting the crowds and that was without baby! I was actually excited to calmly shop this time. Pickings were definitely slim though, in comparison. Usually the tables are mountains and volcanoes of clothes erupting to the benches and floors. (It’s awesome!!!)

I gave myself $100 budget to spend at the sales this week and next. Whatever cash was left would go for items Isaac did need but couldn’t find like swim trunks and summer shoes.

I visited the boy tables – 24 months, 2T, 3T and 4T. I also perused the hanging clothes racks which are nicer holiday items as well as jackets, coats, costumes, etc. The shoes line the bleachers along the wall in the gym by size. Isaac ate his lunch and drank his milk while flirting with the triplet (and quad and quint) moms. After about 30 minutes I had a grocery bag full of items.I always go through my items a second time before purchasing. I want to make sure that I am not buying 3 of the same things, check for stains, and look closer at the pricing compared to other items I picked up. Maybe I have 2 pair of jeans in the same size and one is $1.50 and the other is $4.00. Usually I am doing this while waiting in the forever long line to pay. Today there was no line, so I found us a little spot to break. I laid them out by size and compared the items. I pulled out my lists of what I already had at home and compared to decide what I’d buy.

The grand total was $47.25 for 24 items. The clothing I purchase was all $.50 – $2.50 per item, shoes and holiday items a little more. Before I get into what I got, let me take you on a little tour of the ‘Toys & Equipment Room’. Here are a few items I found interesting but did not need:

We have a restaurant highchair that Doug’s dad built for us because I could not find one of these for sale. I would have bought this a few years back. The Cozy Coupe for $15 was a great deal and thought of buying it for Grandma’s house. If I was pregnant I would have bought the baby scale. I wanted one of these so bad while I was nursing Isaac. And, some mom really didn’t want to take home this highchair it say by the door and register and had been lowered to $2!
I wasn’t planning on buying anything in here unless I found a climber, but Isaac pointed to this truck and called out “carrrrrr”. For $.50, I thought my rockstar shopper deserved a little treat. Besides, it’s a cement mixer. Daddy pours footers and finishes concrete at work and pretty soon he is going to love passing these on the roads. We spent $4.50 in the toy room. Details on the other impulse buys below.

By the way, I love knowing that my money is going to a good cause. 50% of group profits go to assist higher order multiples families experiencing financial hardship. Learn more about TSM here.

Drum roll please…. Here we have the clothes I purchased by size. I cannot give you exact prices for each item because the mommies pull the tags when I pay. It is how they know which mom gets the mula (that is where the other 50% goes).

And, off my “starred” really wants list: A Gymboree sweater for Isaac’s Easter outfit. A pair of 8/9 navy Crocs and black skater shoes in perfect condition. Also, this 2T jacket that will remind me of the triplet boys I nannied for because all 3 had the same one. In fact it is very possible this was one of theirs and it has been passed around to triplet moms a few times since they were 2. Could be!?

And, my $4.50 impulse buys were fun things for Isaac. A carry along school house with jumbo figurines inside, cement mixer truck and Melissa and Doug magnet board with misc letters. As you can see, Isaac was very pleased that I brought these toys home. #picturebomb

That is it for Part 1! The EHMOTC twin sale is close by in Anderson this Saturday. I usually go late to this sale but I found out that they are no longer doing half-off items the last hour. So, I think I am going to do this one early and without baby! No more impulse buys, Isaac. I will be back next week to share Spring Sale Spoils (Part 2). I’m looking forward to it!

I had a rare afternoon with an hour to myself. And, like anyone would, I thought… “I will stop by Goodwill”. Ha! Maybe it was a nudge from the heavenlies because I happen to walk into a 50% off Moonlight Madness sale. Yep… everything 50 PERCENT OFF.

And, look-ie what I found. A treasure! I have been looking for an over-sized frame for a project and this baby was it!After only 15 minutes of perusing, I felt like I got the best of the best. Here is what else I took home…My Loot:
A garbage truck toy – $.50
2 bottles of my favorite hair sprunch – $2 each
New black frame – $1
‘Made in Ohio’ kids shirt for Isaac (FUNNY, right?) – $2.89
Framed picture – $12.50
= $20.89 —> or $10.45 at half-price!!!

Oh, I now love a good Moonlight Madness! Check your goodwill schedule people.

Stop back Wednesday to see what I do with the frame

Please share:

Valentine’s day… such a quick little holiday. To decorate or not? To be honest in the past I have put out a little candy dish and that’s about all. Now that I have a kid in the house, I want to be more festive, but I don’t really want to spend a lot of money. Ok, I never want to spend a lot of money.

So as I was Pinteresting the other day… (I can use that as a verb right? Even though only my two fingers are moving as I scroll down through the pins?) Anyway, here are the pins that were inspiring me. (Click here for the links: 1, 2, 3, 4)I loved the natural colors and deep red. Also oved the burlap and especially the sewn hearts! But, let’s be honest, I don’t have a sewing machine and I was trying NOT to buy supplies. The book pages were so clever, and they had me wishing I had picked up some old books while at St. Vincent DePaul for the Young House Love Macklemore Thrift Shop Challenge. I was not about to rip up my books for Valentine’s Day. We heart books here at Schraeradise (#seewhatididthere). So, to stay on my budget of $0, I thought I might try to fashion something similar.

I started with newspaper. I cut out a shape that I thought would work for the banner. I really just eye-balled it, figuring that I had a whole paper to work with if I messed it up. I did check the size with my mantle, tried to picture what it would look like… It had to hang high enough – higher than toddler hands could reach. The banner would stand no chnace against my Isaac George.

Looked good for me, so I cut out about 10 of these pennants and punched holes in them.

Now, I just needed to figure out how to hang them. I had 2 options: A white ribbed ribbon leftover from gift wrap and a plastic pearly-ball chain like thing. I have no idea where I got the pearly chain, I have had it for years. After trying them both through the holes, I went for the pearls. It is like they found their Valentine Destiny (#friendsreference). I thought they added a little bling to the newspaper and some texture against our painted wood mantel.

Not bad at all. So this is where real life happens and the baby wakes up; I have to pause. It did give me a little time to contemplate what I would put on the banner. My first thought was X’s and O’s maybe mixed in with hearts. Then I thought of Isaac… at 17 months I thought hearts would be best. So later that night, after he was tucked in and hubby was asleep in the Lazyboy at 8:30 on a Friday night, I finished her up. I did have plans with my galfriend, but we decided to cancel, and I was challenged to do some things for myself. (Read about that here). So, I enjoyed a decaf and biscotti, then back to the banner!

I originally was going to paint my hearts the newspaper, but because the paper was super thin, I thought it might make the paper buckle when it dried. So, I opted for the super easy answer!

I had a few colors to chose from and ended up choosing the red crayon and magenta marker for the colors of the hearts. I layed the banner on the floor and used a cookie cutter to make some perfect hearts. I thought the exact same heart might make the banner a little nicer.

Have I mentioned how easy this was? Time to hang it up.

Cute right? I was please with how this little thing turned out. I thought the pearls were a great compliment to the paper. The colors on the hearts blended well with the other decor in the living room. I placed a few colorful books on the mantel to help the colors stand out.

I liked it and thought I would use the newspaper in a couple other frames that were empty. Why not? This large frame is in our living room and needs our latest family pics. I added a simple love quote. True.

And, in our kitchen I used my crayon and marker again to draw an XO on newspaper in put in this frame. There sits my pineapple and hiding in the back is my next DIY adventure #photobomb. So excited about that one. And since we are talking decor, here is some decor that I already had, so that was free to. This “love” sign I found at TJMaxx a few years back for $.70! That has to be the cheapest item I have ever bought there.

In the dining room, some fabric from Isaac’s weekly pictures sits under a glass heart-shaped bowl. I’ve had the bowl for years; it was also a TJMaxx find.

On the bookshelf in this room are some items that I let Isaac get his hands on. He likes to carry the pig around and hug him saying “Awww”. I guess I say that when he hugs me. The “A You’re Adorable” book was a gift from his Philly friends. He LOVES this book, I actually can quote it form memory and I recite it to him in tune.

We are more festive this Valentine week than we ever have been before. Lots of love to celebrate I guess. And, I have to admit I LOVE my banner. It is cute and it was free! Double win for sure. What are you DIYing for Valentine’s Day?

Please share:

I enjoy a good stroll through the thrift shop every now in then. And, by now and then, I mean more “then”. Since the little man came along I’ve cut back on real shopping. Shopping with a toddler consists of snack, songs, pointing, talking to strangers. I though I actually really enjoy being out with the baby… it’s harder with a kid. So when Young House Love encouraged me to get back out there, I took the challenge. My blogging bff HildaGotRocks was taking the challenge too.

So, there is this Thrift Shop song. Have you heard it? It’s silly. But, it is rather catchy. Consider yourself warned.

Oh and as you can see below, something about the challenge has me making weird-mouth-high-schooler-selfie pictures and throwing peace signs. I think that Sherdog’s RAP-piness is spreading like a virus. Got my dough, baby in tow, and ready to go.

Step #1. Go to a thrift shop with – just as the chorus of the song says – “$20 in your pocket”and take a picture.

Step #2. Spend that $20 any way you’d like and photograph your spoils

Step #3. Find one item (or more) referenced in the song and snap a pic.

I went to Mt. Washington St. Vincent DePaul and here are some of the things that got my attention…

A pokey little pineapple. Something about this reminded me of Sherry. It opens too.Lotso lamps just dying for makeovers. I felt bad for them all wanting a home.There had to be 5987 baskets which had me thinking about Easter. My boy will need a proper Easter Basket and I would like to fashion one up for less than the Pottery Barn cost. This dollhouse has so much potential, but needed some deep DIY love.These clean white trays were so pretty, I wanted to take home all 6.These duck bookends would look great in a kids room painted a bright color! Though Isaac enjoyed the stroll down toy lane, most of the items were too dirty to stop the cart. The only possibility was this bead maze in great condition.So, I piled all my maybes into the cart then took a minute to contemplate my purchase.Before I tell you what I took home and if I succeeded in my first YHL challenge, we have a little unfinished business of Step #3. Oh Step number 3, you have me taking more selfies! And…here comes another peace sign peeps, right next to a CASIO keyboard. Oh yeah points scored for a picture with a broken keyboard. (Lyrics: “They had a broken keyboard, I bought a broken keyboard”)

More points for… stealing your grandpa’s style…the velcros! (Lyrics: I’ma take your grandpa’s style, I’ma take your grandpa’s style. No for real, ask your grandpa, can I have his hand-me-downs?…The sneaker heads would be like “Ah, he got the Velcros”)

And Isaac wanted to get in on the fun but I wouldn’t let him listen to the song. He thought the glasses were cool. Even tried on 3 different pairs.

So I didn’t spend exactly $20 bucks, but that wasn’t really the point. Here is how I plan to use the items.

The little orange skillet (that is half tacky half adorable) is living on my kitchen window sill. When I saw it I knew it would match my kitchen accents and be the perfect drop spot for jewelry while I cook or do dishes. See? Perf. After a thorough Clorox wipe down, the bead maze made it to the dining room shelf. Isaac likes to sit and play in this corner while Doug and I talk after dinner. I am sure, though, that it will make it’s way around to every room in the house. The mini purse was too cute. It was like a canvas on the outside and bright pink lining – very clean! Once I saw it I knew that it would make the perfect gift bag for a little girl gift I already had to give. It is for a 2 year old, so I knew that she would love her own little thing to carry around. Isaac does this all the time my his lunch bag.

Just had to fancy it up a little bit. The strawberry footie PJs rolled up perfectly inside. The white dish is currently on my night stand as another jewelry holder. Can you tell I am worried about losing my wedding ring? I think the basket will be a perfect Easter Basket. I love how high the handle is. It is clean, sturdy, and still soft to the touch. I’d like to fashion some kind of removable lining for the inside. Here I show a folded yard of fabric on the inside. I see Pinterest research and a project on the horizon. I will make sure to tell you how it turns out. Last but not least is the pokey little pineapple. It is sitting in the kitchen right now so I can see it often. I am sure that it will bop around the house until I find a good home for it. Doug hates it by the way. I think his reaction was “WHAT is THAT?!” And later in the evening he said, “How many treasures do you have hiding around the house?” to which I responded, “just a couple more.”

So, there you go. Done. Accomplished. Winning!

The challenge made me realize how much I miss shopping alone, including thrifting. I love getting a lot for a little. I think I will be going back out really soon….without baby. And, without silly rap songs in my head.

I adore Buy Buy Baby. The store came to Cincinnati the year before Isaac was born and I am SO GLAD! I registered there and had a great experience with them. They received returns off my register easily before Isaac was born and the whole year after (completely opposite of the other place I registered). Last week I returned a few gifted toys that I am not even sure were purchased there. They rock. The people are nice and helpful. Our store has a nursing room too, so it made it easy for me to make a trip when Isaac was itty bitty. They also sell great products. The carry some higher end brands that you cannot find at other baby stores, some that the quality is worth the investment. Stroller section alone is bigger than my house (at least it feels that way). To wrap it all up their coupons are incredible. They frequently mail $5 of a $15 purchase and 20% off an item and you can use as many as you want. They will also take coupons from competitors. Since the location is about 35 minutes from our house, I will usually save my coupons and make a list then optimize them before they expire. I wish I had kept track of all my savings because friends it is a lot. I leave with a smile on my face feeling like beat the system somehow.

So last week I had a few returns and a pile of coupons that were set to expire. I decided it was time for a trip but only had a few items that I was looking for: a few self-feeding spoons, straw sippies, maybe some plates, possibly a birthday gift for Isaac’s girlfriend. They received all 3 toys and I had a gift receipt of $53 to spend. I loaded up on the items I new that I needed. I also was thinking about a new Skip Hop bottle/lunch bag. I was happy with the quality but mine was kinda stinky, so I picked up on of these too. It matches my beloved diaper bag which was in great shape, so I figured with $5 off coupon it was worth it.

Here is my diaper bag: The Skip Hop Duo

Here is the matching bottle/lunch bag: The Skip Hop 3 Bottle Thinsulate BagLike I said, I have been super happy with these products. Durable, easy to clean, and simple. They don’t scream “I am for a baby” so I know that I can use them for a long time. I have thought about getting the the larger bag, the Duo Double, but at $79.99, I couldn’t justify another bag that I would only use rarely. That was until I saw one with this little tag…

It is hard to read, but says the date of return was 9-17-2012 for a broken zipper. Original price $79.99 and Reduced Retail $30.98. I looked at the bag and saw no other defects, the middle zipper was open so I figured it was the reason for the return. I wasn’t sure I wanted to pay $30.98 even after coupon, so I carried it to the register with me to see what I could get. I figure my seamstress could fix the zipper for $10 or so, so if I could get them down to $20 (then another $5 off) it would be worth it. I asked the sales clerk if she would take $20 for it and she said she would have to call the manager. When the manager came I thought twice and asked her if she would reduce the price. She asked me the date, and since it had been over 3 months she cut the price in half!!! YES!!! $14.50, people! After $5 coupon it was down to $9.50. Oh Em Gee!

So here is my new bag… Once I got home, I tried out the middle zipper that I thought was broken and it worked! Turned out the broken zipper was on the side where there was a double zipper option, meaning only one of those zippers does not work! What? I don’t even have to get this baby fixed. Happy Momma, right here.

And, the baby was happy too

Thanks Buy Buy Baby for treating me so good, you have a customer for life!